On the contrary, we really did build that

Published: Friday, September 7, 2012 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, September 6, 2012 at 2:54 p.m.

Speaking in July without his trusty Teleprompter, President Barack Obama inadvertently revealed his true philosophy regarding successful Americans, declaring, “If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.”

Facts

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Democrats claim the quote is out of context and hope that you won’t read the speech, but the context reinforces the point — he repeated the same twaddle several times: “If you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. … If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help.” Google “Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event in Roanoke Virginia,” open the whitehouse.gov link and read the entire text of the speech. You’ll agree — the context is worse.

This economic illiteracy is not new. If his “you didn’t build that” comment just popped out in the heat of a rant, we could dismiss it. But, as anyone who browses left-wing websites knows, it is a standard refrain from the extreme left. It’s as recognizable as “vulture capitalism” and “evil Republicans serve corporations and the 1 percent,” etc. For a 2004 example, visit www.commondreams.org/views04/0912-20.htm.

The implied premise of this stupidity is that successful people used public roads, public schools, etc., while unsuccessful people didn’t have access to roads and schools. Hogwash! The difference is that successful people chose an occupation that was financially rewarding and then worked much harder than others, whether within a corporation or in a small business.

Some of the hard work happens in preparation. It has been reported that about half of recent college graduates are unable to find jobs. But what is not reported is that those who chose a course of study that requires long hours and hard work are not likely to be in that group. In a recent visit to the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Clemson University, the department chairman informed me that of their 36 graduates in 2012, 30 either had professional jobs or were accepted to graduate school or medical school. The other six had procrastinated and were expected to be employed within a few months.

This is not to denigrate those who choose occupations that fulfill them personally but are not as financially rewarding. The beauty of free-market capitalism is that everyone gets to make those choices, and the resulting overall happiness and prosperity is far superior to any other economic system.

At a campaign stop in Chicago, Mr. Obama asked, “Do we go forward toward a new vision of an America in which prosperity is shared?” One assumes that he is woefully unaware that if his extreme policies of big government central planning were fully implemented, there would be no prosperity to share. Time and again throughout history, especially in the 20th century, it has failed. It always results in tyranny, serfdom and poverty. Always.

As just one example, consider Chile under the Marxist rule of Salvador Allende. A few years after he assumed the presidency in November 1970, the Chilean currency had an inflation rate of 140 percent per year, the nation’s GDP was declining at 5.6 percent per year, and lawless mobs roamed the streets destroying symbols of capitalism.

Allende was ousted in a military coup in September 1973 before he could inflict more damage on the country, and Chile now ranks as the most prosperous country in South America. Its poverty rate has been reduced from 45 percent to 15 percent, and its per capita income is almost $17,000.

Free-market capitalism works. Central planning doesn’t.

In a speech in Council Bluffs, Iowa, the president said, “If you’re lucky enough … to be in … the top 2 percent,” you should pay more taxes. Oops. His handlers should advise him to stay on the Teleprompter script. Yes, in addition to hard work, motivation and intelligence, there’s some luck involved, but as Thomas Jefferson said, “I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”

Once again, if he said it once, we could ignore it. But by repeating the same idiocy over and over, we know that, deep down, he really believes it.

<p>Speaking in July without his trusty Teleprompter, President Barack Obama inadvertently revealed his true philosophy regarding successful Americans, declaring, “If you've got a business — you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen.”</p><p>Democrats claim the quote is out of context and hope that you won't read the speech, but the context reinforces the point — he repeated the same twaddle several times: “If you've been successful, you didn't get there on your own. You didn't get there on your own. … If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help.” Google “Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event in Roanoke Virginia,” open the whitehouse.gov link and read the entire text of the speech. You'll agree — the context is worse.</p><p>This economic illiteracy is not new. If his “you didn't build that” comment just popped out in the heat of a rant, we could dismiss it. But, as anyone who browses left-wing websites knows, it is a standard refrain from the extreme left. It's as recognizable as “vulture capitalism” and “evil Republicans serve corporations and the 1 percent,” etc. For a 2004 example, visit www.commondreams.org/views04/0912-20.htm.</p><p>The implied premise of this stupidity is that successful people used public roads, public schools, etc., while unsuccessful people didn't have access to roads and schools. Hogwash! The difference is that successful people chose an occupation that was financially rewarding and then worked much harder than others, whether within a corporation or in a small business.</p><p>Some of the hard work happens in preparation. It has been reported that about half of recent college graduates are unable to find jobs. But what is not reported is that those who chose a course of study that requires long hours and hard work are not likely to be in that group. In a recent visit to the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Clemson University, the department chairman informed me that of their 36 graduates in 2012, 30 either had professional jobs or were accepted to graduate school or medical school. The other six had procrastinated and were expected to be employed within a few months.</p><p>This is not to denigrate those who choose occupations that fulfill them personally but are not as financially rewarding. The beauty of free-market capitalism is that everyone gets to make those choices, and the resulting overall happiness and prosperity is far superior to any other economic system.</p><p>At a campaign stop in Chicago, Mr. Obama asked, “Do we go forward toward a new vision of an America in which prosperity is shared?” One assumes that he is woefully unaware that if his extreme policies of big government central planning were fully implemented, there would be no prosperity to share. Time and again throughout history, especially in the 20th century, it has failed. It always results in tyranny, serfdom and poverty. Always.</p><p>As just one example, consider Chile under the Marxist rule of Salvador Allende. A few years after he assumed the presidency in November 1970, the Chilean currency had an inflation rate of 140 percent per year, the nation's GDP was declining at 5.6 percent per year, and lawless mobs roamed the streets destroying symbols of capitalism.</p><p>Allende was ousted in a military coup in September 1973 before he could inflict more damage on the country, and Chile now ranks as the most prosperous country in South America. Its poverty rate has been reduced from 45 percent to 15 percent, and its per capita income is almost $17,000.</p><p>Free-market capitalism works. Central planning doesn't.</p><p>In a speech in Council Bluffs, Iowa, the president said, “If you're lucky enough … to be in … the top 2 percent,” you should pay more taxes. Oops. His handlers should advise him to stay on the Teleprompter script. Yes, in addition to hard work, motivation and intelligence, there's some luck involved, but as Thomas Jefferson said, “I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”</p><p>Once again, if he said it once, we could ignore it. But by repeating the same idiocy over and over, we know that, deep down, he really believes it.</p>